Articles posted February 9, 2003

Headlines and features from the Thoroughbred industry

Ministers Wild Cat became the third stakes winner produced by champion Hollywood Wildcat and stamped himself as a possible Kentucky Derby threat with a 1 1/4-length win in Sunday's $66,950 Golden State Mile Stakes at Golden Gate Fields.

A high temperature has knocked Bham out of his scheduled start in Saturday's Fountain of Youth Stakes, forcing trainer Todd Pletcher to rethink his plans for next weekend. With Bham out, Pletcher now may run Indy Dancer in the Fountain of Youth rather than the Risen Star at Fair Grounds.

The controversial but successful team of trainer Mark Shuman and owner Michael J. Gill won two races on Sunday's Gulfstream Park card, including a decisive 4 1/2-length victory by Native Heir in the day's feature race, the $100,000 Deputy Minister Handicap (gr. III).

Patrick Biancone and Fabien Ouaki's Whywhywhy turned in his final work in preparation for Saturday's $200,000 Fountain of Youth Stakes (gr. I) at Santa Anita Sunday morning. Promising 3-year-olds Atswhatimtalknbout and Omega Code also worked Sunday.

The results of a survey conducted by the Gluck Equine Research Center showed that a small number of Central Kentucky farms experienced an unusual increase in what is being termed fall fetal loss syndrome (FFLS) during the latter part of 2002.